Obituary of Donald P. Larsen

DONALD PETER EMIL LARSEN Don died Saturday, April 4, 2009 at St. Peter Hospital in the arms of his wife, Janice. He was born on May 30, 1941 to Oscar N. Larsen and Agnes Teutscher Larsen in Tacoma. He was raised and lived in the Tacoma area until 1990, graduating from Franklin Pierce High School in 1959. He served in the Washington Army National Guard from June 1959 through December 1962. Don worked industrial and manufacturing jobs off and on to put himself through college. He first attended Olympic in Bremerton and then Central Washington State College where he graduated in 1966. Don worked his entire career as a servant to others as a caseworker in what was then the Public Assistance office and then as a vocational counselor with the Department of Labor and Industries. During his years of employment, he was very active in his union, AFSCME, having held local and statewide elected positions and was a delegate to several international conventions. He retired from state service in 1992 and then continued working part time doing the same kind of work in the private sector. He fully retired in 2003. Don married Janice Inman on August 5, 1972 in Olympia. They have two children, Mark and Laura. Don was a devoted father who was always there in the bleacher seats at a swimming pool, with video camera at a band concert or ballet recital or acting as the Cubmaster when Mark was a young scout. He followed Mark’s scouting, including helping him on his Eagle Scout project. He was very proud of the accomplishment. One thing he was looking forward to was a front row seat when Laura graduates from South Puget Sound Community College in June. Since retiring, Don has worked on the genealogy of not only his own heritage, but also the families of Janice and Laura’s birth family. It is a gift to us that he has done so much of the research. He also was an ardent fan of high school and community college sports, especially girls’ fastpitch, volleyball and basketball. He was always recruiting for his alma mater, CWU, and sent video of strong players to the coaches at Central. He always had his lawn chair and CHS seat cushion in the back of his car, ready for any bleacher or ball field. You could always hear him cheering the players and also letting the coaches and referees know that they hadn’t done something quite right. Don was a member of the Tacoma and Olympia Genealogical Societies, the Sons of Norway, First United Methodist Church of Olympia and the CWU Alumni Association. Don is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Janice Inman Larsen, Olympia; son Mark Donald Larsen (wife Heather), Vancouver; daughter Laura Eileen Larsen, Olympia; mother-in-law Eileen Inman, Olympia; brothers Oscar Larsen (wife Dolores), Grapeview and Raymond Larsen, Eatonville; brother-in-law Jerry Inman (wife Diane), Olympia; and many nieces, nephews and extended in-laws. While Don had health issues over the past few years which kept him from some of his earlier passion for fly fishing and camping, he had enjoyed enough vitality to be active with his family and attend ball games. Don is already missed by all of us. A memorial service will be held on Friday, April 10, 2009 at 3:00 PM at the First United Methodist Church, 1224 Legion Way SE, Olympia. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: CWU Athletics 400 East University Way Ellensburg, WA 98926-7570 or First United Methodist Church Youth Ministries 1224 Legion Way SE Olympia, WA 98501